Friday, January 13, 2017

How to be a Wildflower and My Nature Journal

For Christmas, my very good friend, Heather, gave me How to be a Wildflower: a Field Guide by Katie Daisy. I've been following Katie on Instagram for a couple of years now and am a huge fan of her work. This book is an interactive visual journal of sorts. It's filled with inspiring quotes, whimsical artwork, recipes, and prompts on how you can best enjoy your time spent outdoors. Here is the beautiful promo video, she released to give you a better idea of what's inside.

I read it cover to cover in about 30 minutes, but I will undoubtedly go back to it again and again. It's incredibly inspiring. In early fall, I started keeping my own Nature Journal as a creative outlet and to help document all the beauty we were finding on our hikes and visits to the local nature centers. I love looking at other people's nature (and travel) journals and have even been keeping Pinterest boards with inspiration for quite some time!

The sketchbook I started my journal in is pretty large scale and the paper isn't terribly great with watercolor. Still, it's working for me as a beginner and I've thoroughly enjoyed working in it. I love walking the trail with my son and photographing the beautiful flowers we come across. The photos start as a jumping off point for my research identifying them. Once I've identifying the plant/bug/flower/etc. I look up more photos and existing watercolors. I sketch out my drawing, watercolor, and label. After reading How to be a Wildflower, I feel inspired to add more things to this journal, such as the leaves and flowers I've pressed, my favorite quotes, and maybe even tips of my own.